The Manure Horn
This week we start one of the most important operations in the agricultural season: the "spraying" of Manure Horn (biodynamic preparation 500). We were waiting for the cold wave and now we can start: first the crops, then the vineyards, finally the olive trees and the fruits.
What is manure horn?
The answer is simple: it is a biodynamic fertilizer for the soil. Specifically, the manure horn is a preparation based on fresh manure selected from cattle breeding in the wild, used in autumn to fill cow horns. These horns, filled in this way, are buried and left to macerate until the following spring, after which they are emptied and the contents are put into unsealed glass jars, which in turn are placed in a box full of peat. Care in conservation is fundamental: the manure horn is a living organism that must neither dry nor mouldy because the microorganisms that compose it would die or no longer be effective.
When used, the contents of these jars are dissolved in well or spring water through the dynamization process. The end is traditional: with this water with dissolved manure the culture is sprayed using a special sprayer.
What is special about manure horn?
Empirical results show that the manure horn gives balance to the bacterial and microbiological structure of the soil. This results, for example, in better water absorption (and therefore also water saving in case of irrigation), regulation of the pH of the soil and leveling of its acidity, a strong nutritional support to germinating seeds and root development.
Why the cow horn?
This point is not sincerely supported by scientific evidence: it is believed that the horn is the terminal of the energy and strength that an animal releases. Bone and cartilage tissue are particularly rich in enzymes. The permanence of manure in these "containers" enriches its enzymatic and bacterial charge and gives it a particular power.